BusinessWeek
YOUR LOCAL ONLINE BUSINESS PAPER
www.businessweekmindanao.com Issue No. 48, Volume III • February 13-16, 2012
Market Indicators AS OF 5:55 P.M., FEB. 10, 2012 (Friday)
FOREX
PHISIX
US$1 = P42.48
4,783.52 points
30 cents
;
13.90 points
;
Briefly Policy on Cha-Ro
THE National Competitiveness Council (NCC) will continue pushing for a policy on chassis roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) in support of the ASEAN Ro-Ro agenda of President Benigno S. Aquino III. Henry Basilio, the co-champion of the NCC Infrastructure Working Group, noted that imperative to the success of the ASEAN RoRo initiative is the issuance of an executive order (EO) that would make chassis Ro-Ro (Cha-Ro) part of the Ro-Ro service. Basilio said the Philippines must allow the trailer trucks to be part of the Ro-Ro transport system, as done by other countries.
PH exports fall
MERCHANDISE exports fell an annual 20.7% in December to $3.33 billion, the lowest value in two years, supporting the case for another interest rate cut to boost domestic growth in the face of weak demand for the country’s main electronics shipments. Electronics and semiconductor shipments, which made up 45.6% of export revenues, contracted 32.7% in December from a year ago, the statistics office said on Friday. For the entire 2011, exports fell 6.86% against a government estimate of a 5% growth, and electronics shipments plunged 23.7%.
Power for airport
THE Regional Development Council (RDC-X), through its Special Committee on the Laguindingan Airport Development Project (LADP), sought to ensure that power supply for the Laguindingan airport would be sufficient once it starts operating in 2013. In a meeting held February 7, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) disclosed that it has granted a temporary connection permit for the Misamis Oriental Electric Service Cooperative (MORESCO) I to energize its 10 MVA substation in Barangay Moog, Laguindingan. This is needed for the testing and commissioning of the airport facilities.
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EU: Peace deal vital to M’danao’s growth By IRENE DOMINGO Correspondent
W
HILE calling for the speedy forging of a final peace agreement, ambassadors from the European Union have reiterated their support to the Mindanao peace process, wherein the regional bloc currently provides P180 million in grants. EU Head of Delegation Guy Ledoux and ambassadors Wilhelm Donko of Austria, Jorge Domecq of Spain and Stephen Lillie of the United Kingdom came to Cotabato City Wednesday to voice anew the bloc’s support to the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. “Our visit to Mindanao demonstrates the EU’s strong support for the Mindanao peace process. A peaceful settlement to the conflict is essential for the Philippines’ economic and social development, and we commend the GPH and MILF panels on their efforts so far,” Ledoux said in a statement. DEAL/PAGE 9
BUSINESS AS USUAL. White water rafting is back in Cagayan River after outfitters cleared the basic and advanced routes of logs and other debris. PHOTO COURTESY OF MENCHIT ONGPIN
Former DENR-10 chief hits claims hydraulic mining cannot be stopped By BONG FABE, Correspondent
A FORMER head of the regional office of the Environment and Natural Resources in northern Mindanao slammed claims that illegal hydraulic mining in the upstream of Iponan River cannot be stopped because of socio-economic considerations. “[That’s] bullshit!” an angry Raoul Geollegue,
former regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources here, said during the Joint Municipal and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council which tackled the rampant illegal hydraulic mining in the Misamis Oriental side of the Iponan River. Hydraulic mining along Iponan River. MINING/PAGE 7
Global links power Oro’s newest call center By MIKE BAÑOS, Correspondent
TWO homegrown Pinoys, A Fil-Am who traces his roots to this city and nearby Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, his two Pakistani-American friends, an Indian business manager based in New Delhi and clients in the US, United Kingdom and Australia lend a truly global flavor FBC Solutions provides a number of shared services for to the newest call center small business.
in this Next Wave City for Pinoy BPOs. FBC Solutions Corp. celebrated its first anniversary January 28th, a brainchild of cousins Niño Mae V. Duran and Nathan John V. Yap and family friend Noelle Noreen A. Juarez. Far-fetched as it seems, the venture arose from a confluence of unlikely events: POWER/PAGE 9